Art of coloring leather



April 26, 1927. P. A. BLATZ 1,625,842

ART OF COLORING LEATHER Filed June 15, 1926 Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

PETER A. BLATZ, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

ART OF conomne LEATHER.

Application filed June 15,

The coloring o1 hides and skins as now practiced in tanneries, particularly in the coloring of goat and kid skins in the manufacture of glazed leather, comprises drumming such skins in the coloring solution.

In all instances the coloring matter is placed in a suitable drum in the form of a bath; the amount of liquid employed approximately halt filling such drum. The skins to be colored are taken from the final tanning treatment, usually chrome tannage, while still wet and are placed in such colon ing bath and the drum is rotated until the skins have taken up the desired shade; the time involved depending in some measure upon the weight of the skins, and the color they are to have when the drumming operation in such solution has been completed. In practice there isa tendency for a number of the skins to turn over and fold or plait, as it is termed in the industry; the grain side of the skin for some reason not exactly known folding longitudinally and maintaining such condition during the drumming action. This folding action results in improper and incomplete coloring of the skin; the edges receiving a greater proportion of color than the restlof the skin which is quite light in shade, much lighter than the color desired and intended. Skin's which act in this manner while perfectly good leather, are so badly colored as to become seconds; available only for trimming parts and not susceptible of use in the manuacture of shoes or the color intended.

The object of my invention is to prevent his plaiting or folding with consequent imperfect coloring, and in coloring these skins, particularly in the manufacture of glazed kid, I fasten the skins together in such man-- her as to prevent theinbecoming folded iniproperly during the drumming in the coloringsolution.

In carrying outrny invention the skins are secured together unsymmetrioally in what may he termed an unbalanced condition, that is to say a part of the flank of a skin is turned over against the flesh'side of the sameand secured together in this position.- By preference, I secure one 01; the legends to one of the shoulder ends, with the grai side outermost. In fastening the skins in this manner it would a pear that the liquidin he druin splashes through the skin; distending the same so" as to bring the entire grain surface in contact with the coloring 1926. Serial No. 116,084.

solution in the drum; resulting in perfect coloring throughout the entire area of such grain surface and avoiding the imperfect coloring that takes place when an unconfined or untistened skin becomes folded with the min surface in contact with itself in the .oldod condition.

I have shown in the accompanying drawings which are largely diagrannnatio in characten a skin secured together in the manner which I have found highly satisfactory in practice for maiiitaining the same in position to secure proper coloring; the grain surface heing disposed outermost to insure that the coloring solution will wash such surface of the skin thoroughly and secure the desired coloring effect without danger of improper coloring.

In these drawings: Figure 1, is a view in plan of a skin as it crnnes from the tanning bath.

Fig. 2, is a view of the skin fastened together in accordance with my improved method, and

Fig. 3, is a view illustrating the shape the skin is believed to assume during the drumn'iing' operation. I

In the drawings. 1, represents the body of the skin; the flesh side being indicated at A, and the grain side at B. The leg ends are indicated at 2, and the shoi'ilder ends at 3.

In the drawings, 1 represents the body of my invention, one of the leg ends 2, is connected by suitable means, to one of the shoulder ends 3, and such connection may be effected by means of a rivet 4:, or similar fastening, or the extremities of these overlying portions may be sewn together. Any method that will hold portions of the skin together during the drumming treatment in the bath of coloring material may be employed, and the particular fastening means forms no part of my present invention.

The skins fastened together in this unsymmetrical manner are in what may be termed an unbalanced condition; that'is to say, the folding is of such a character that portions of the flesh side are disposed at each side of the smaller folded portion of the grain surface of the skin so that, practice, in the operatien'of drumming wherein the skins ar se-ambled aboutin the coloring solution; being caught up by the weeden pegs on the inner surface of the drum and dro 'ied' from such pegs as they pas'et he highest-- point of the drunnthe liquid will pass and rcpass through the skin which will open as the liquid comes into contact with the same; insuring complete submergence in the coloring bath and effecting proper coloring of the grain surface.

I have found in practice that when the skins are fastened together int-he manner indicated; that is to say when one of the leg ends, for instance is carried across the skin and fastened to one of the shoulder ends, the skin is prevented from folding together with the grain surface in contact, hence proper coloring of the grain surface can be effected. By preparing the skins in the manner proposed, it is possible to properly color an entire batch of skins, whereas in all former methods where the skins were thrown into the drum in the usual loose and disconnected condition, from two (2) per cent to six (6) per cent of such loose skins fold together longitudinally of the same; the grain side adhering together and maintaining such adherence during the 'drumming treatment for application of the coloring matter and preventing such grain surface receiving the desired coloring effect.

This condition is especially undesirable when the coloring treatment is intended to impart the lighter shades to skins and wherein it is most desirable that the coloring effect shall be uniform over the entire grain surface. I am unable to say why the adherence of the grain side occurs although it would appear that such surface is slightly sticky or tacky, while the flesh side is quite slippery in the wet condition and during the coloring operation. lVhatever the reason, it appears to be a fact that it is the grain side of the skin that adheres together and not the flesh side, when unconfined skins fold together automatically.

lVhile I prefer to fasten the skin together in substantially the manner indicated in Fig". 2, it has been found in practice thatthe leg end may be fastened to the shoulder end or portion on the opposite side of the skin and that a relatively wide zone of the neck end of the skin, for instance, may be the anchorage for such leg end, so long as such positioning of the skin is unsymmetrical and gives the latter an uneven or unbalanced lap or overlay that will permit the liquid to enter between the plies of the overlapped portion of the skin and distend the same during the drumming operation. The objectionable self-folding of the skins which occurs automatically during a drumming operation is, for some reason yet undetermined, longitudinally of the skin; the fold extending along the backbone of the animal, and the skin overlapping substantially the entire surface of the grain side.

lVhatever causes this self-folding, it is highly objectionable. A normal and usual quantityjof skins for the drumming operaerly colored skinsis of great value in the glazed kid industry.

By preparing the skins in accordance with my invention, by fastening portions of the same together in the manner indicated with the grain side outermost, I am able to secure perfect coloring of entire hatches; a

condition never attained when this coloring operation was carried out in the manner common 1n the industry before the development of my improved method or process.

lVhile I have referred more particularly in the foregoing description to the coloring of skins which are made into glazed leather, by which is meant kid and goat skins and skins of an allied nature usually employed in the manufacture of footwear, it will be understood that my improved method or process of securing the skins together in a condition whereby they will be prevented from self-folding during the coloring operation, is applicable to leathers of a heavier nature, such as the so-called side leathers and the lighter hides; calf skins and the like.

I claim:

1. In the art of coloring leather, the step of fastening the skins together; portions of the skins being overlapped in an uneven or unsymmetrical condition, and then drumming such connected skins in a coloring solution.

2. In the art of coloring leather, the step offastening the skins together with the grain side outermost; portions of the skins being overlapped in an uneven or unsymmetrical condition, and then drumming such connected skins in a coloring solution.

3. In the art of coloring leather, the step of fastening opposite portions of a skin to gether; the connected portions of the skins being overlapped in an uneven or unsymmetrical condition, and then drumming such connected skins in a coloring solution.

l. In the art of coloring leather, the step of fastening opposite portions of the skins together with the grain side outermost; the connected portions of the skins being overlapped in an uneven or unsymmetrical condition, and then drumming such councctml skins in a coloring solution.

5. In the art of coloring leather, the step of fastening skins together by attaching one ofthe leg ends to one of the shoulder ends;

the skins being overlapped to permit this fastening, and then drumming such connected skins in a coloring solution.

6. In the art of coloring leather, the step Ill) l'lO

of fastening skins together by attaching one of the leg ends to one of the shoulder ends With the grain side outermost; the skins being overlapped to permit this fastening, and then drumming such connected skins in a coloring solution.

7. In the art of coloring leather, the step of fastening a skin together in an uneven or unsymmetrical condition by attaching one ot its leg ends to one of its shoulder ends; the skin being overlapped to permit this fastening, and then drumming such connected skins in a coloring solution.

8. In the art of coloring leather, the step of fastening a skin together in an uneven or unsymmetrical condition by attaching one of its leg ends to one of its shoulder ends with the grain side outermost; the skins being overlapped to permit this fastening, and then drumming such connected skin in a coloring solution.

9. In the art of coloring leather, overlapping portions of the skins and fastening them in the overlapped condition by attaching one part of an edge portion of a skin on one side of the same to another portion of the skin at the opposite edge, and then drumming such connected skins in a coloring solution.

10. In the art of coloring leather, overlapping portions of the skins and fastening of the skin, and then drumming such connected skins in a OOlOlil'lg solution.

11. In the art of coloring leather, the method of overlapping the skins in an uneven or unsymmetrical condition, securing them together in such overlapped form, and i then drumming such overlapped and fastened skins in a coloring solution.

In Witness whereof I have signed this specification.

PETER A. BLATZ.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,625,842. Granted April 26, 1927, to-

PETER A. BLATZ.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 88, strike out the words ".In the drawings, 1 represents the body of" and insert instead "In the preferred manner of carrying out"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 24th day of May, A. D. 1927.

M. J. Moore, Seal. Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

